The Chronicles of Goshen Series

From north of Lake Superior in the legendary Land o’ Goshen, E.J. explores the hope and the hell in rural utopias, in big bad cities, and in the nightly newscasts. Goshen is a mythical town in rural Canada, a platform for viewing Everyone's backyard as well as global events. The author attributes the quirky humour, the contrarian views, and the perfectly surprising sentiments to his muse, Holy Elijah Jumping Jesus Jehosaphat! – E.J., for short. In this series of stories and essays, E.J.’s voice is always crying, and forever laughing, in the wilderness.

VOL. 1 - The Annals of Goshen (2012)

1 Corner Gas 2 On the Square3 The Tree Gods4 What's In a Smell5 A Mighty Good Sandwich6 Goshen at War7 American Penguins8 Volunteerism9 Down to Earth10 The Degrees of Grouch11 Timber Wolves12 The Man Who Swamped for Paul13 A Grain of Sand14 Our Town15 Letters From God16 This Is Wonderland17 Home Town18 Friends and Family

19 Snakes and Adders20 The Last Rose21 Language Matters22 Nature Is Red23 Happiness Is24 How Much Wood25 Lest We Forget26 The Secret Life27 Pike's Peak28 One of the Greatest29 How the Smirk Stole Christmas30 Copy This!31 Spare That Tree32 Follow Your Drum, Eh?33 The Lisbon Earthquake34 Stopping By Woods35 Caveat Emptor36 Where the Sidewalk Ends

Review of THE ANNALS OF GOSHEN". . . Although Lavoie's quirky humour and social satire are the hallmarks of his style, stories such as "The Secret Life" and "Pike's Peak" demonstrate that where his writing really shines is in capturing the essence of the boreal forest and the ways in which the land has shaped its northern inhabitants."— The Walleye: Thunder Bay's arts & culture alternative

VOL. 2 - The Jarheads of Goshen (2013)

1 Corner Gas II 2 Land o' Goshen3 Fruit of the Vine4 Shadow and Light5 The First Rose6 Grub Street Museums7 Monuments of Sand8 The Lord God Bird9 A Good Kill10 On Your Lonesome11 Wild By Nature12 The Yellow Peril13 Nebuchita Mosquita14 The Dam Consequences15 Old Fossils16 The Goshen Catnapper17 Gardeners All18 The Butterfly Effect19 Stand of Trees20 The True Cross

21 A Peckerhead Policy 22 Bambi23 Civil War Buffs24 Charity Hurts25 My Old House26 My Country Is Winter27 The Inukshuk Conspiracy28 Bombs, Away!29 Romancing the Stones 30 The Wintering Place31 The Chief Corner-Tree32 Merry XX33 Mr Dithers Dot Lib34 The Mechanic35 Wild Parrots36 Save the Ling37 Paddle to the Sea38 March of the Penguins39 Goshen's Great Whitecoat Hunt40 Homes May Be Flat

The Kennet Forbes Mystery Series

In 2007, Kennet Forbes returns to Thunder Bay, Ontario, to take a post at the university. He teaches journalism and media studies, a respite from the conflicts which he covered overseas as correspondent, and from the hectic world of investigative TV journalism based in Toronto. During a stint covering the war in Afghanistan in '06, he acquired a permanent black eye from an improvised explosive device. Along with it, he acquired a hankering for a bastion of security for the rest of his life. He cannot ignore, however, the crimes against humanity occurring in his own backyard, the wilderness north of Lake Superior where he grew up.

The Beardmore Relics (2011)

Kennet Forbes, teacher at Thunder Bay University, finds himself embroiled in violence, murder, and mystery. Forbes, former high-profile newsman on national TV, volunteers to search for a colleague, an archaeologist who has gone missing in the field. He returns to the wilds north of Lake Superior. In the process he awakens his own demons, the ones that drove him to foreign ﻿shores, and drove him back again﻿.

Reviews"It talks about the geography and mining of this area, and the colourful local characters of Anytown, a close-knit community like many others. It told the story of old, dark secrets, of murder, romance and the thinking of keen minds. It talks about streets and businesses that exist to this day, that we can relate to . . . " The Chronicle-Journal (Thunder Bay)"Lavoie is an experienced writer and has done a professional job with his novel. His characters are believable, his writing is tight, the plot keeps the reader riveted. It’s as good as anything of its ilk published by amainline publisher . . . " — Elizabeth Campbell Books

Geraldton Back Doors (2013)

When a body turns up in the wilderness north of Lake Superior, Kennet Forbes takes it personally. Forbes, a former high-profile investigative journalist, finds himself wading through murder, violence, and drugs. The pursuit of justice dredges up his personal history, and threatens to mire him in doubts about mankind's capacity for goodness.

Reviews cont'd

Lavoie can certainly weave a tale, and where the narrative pace lags or becomes tangential, it is made up for by rich description and Lavoie's vast knowledge of local history and geography. The result is definitely satisfying and solidifies Lavoie's position as one of Northwestern Ontario's best.-The Walleye: Thunder Bay's arts & culture alternative

ReviewsThis is a wonderful book! A mystery thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat right to the end. From the conflict in Sarajevo to the drug trade in northern Ontario, this story never stops delivering the suspense and intrigue. It has action, really scary bad guys, and an Indian-Jones type of hero in former- war- correspondent-turned- University- Professor Kennet Forbes. Well-researched and convincing, it's a must-read for anyone who loves thrillers and/or northwestern Ontario. - Marianne Jones on Goodreads

A thrill ride set in quiet, dull, Northwestern Ontario with our calm lakes, sleepy trout streams and placid sunsets? Lavoie kicks those stereotypical images right off the pages . . . Following a placid, almost rural opening involving horse-drawn timber harvesting, we are swept from war-torn Sarajevo, where our narrator was a news journalist, to Montreal and the Hell's Angels and back to Northwestern Ontario . . . And always the story is propelled forward by the business of how men relate [to] and manipulate each other.- The Chronicle-Journal (Thunder Bay)